November 18, 2025
A class action lawsuit claiming racial bias at a Tesla assembly plant will not move forward as planned.
A California judge had ruled in favor of Tesla, stunting the progression of a class action lawsuit over racial bias against Black workers.
The ruling would prohibit 6,000 Black Tesla workers at one of the electric car company’s flagship plants from moving forward with a class-action lawsuit. According to Reuters, California Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon made the shocking decision Nov. 14.
Initially filed in 2017, the lawsuit claimed that Black workers at the Tesla plant were enduring long bouts of racism and harassment. The legal documents claimed that workers faced slurs as well as saw nooses hung up around the assembly lines.
Borkin based his decision on the fact that many of the workers selected to testify in the 2026 trial were unwilling to take the stand. The 200 workers were chosen at random, but too many opted out of the crucial component to make the lawsuit have legs. The judge then said he could not trust the experiences of a significantly reduced pool of workers, leading him to strike the class action.
However, the plaintiff’s lawyers argued that the opt-outs were not motivated by ill intent. Instead, the attorney, Lawrence Organ, asserted that these workers cannot afford to miss work to participate in what could become a lengthy trial. While the prosecution currently lies at a standstill, Organ emphasized that these workers remain committed to seeking justice.
“Either together with other victims, or separately, these courageous Black workers will overcome Tesla’s endless delays and continue fighting to hold the company accountable,” he explained.
As it stands, these workers will have to seek legal action individually, which could prevent the car company from being held accountable on a grander scale. However, this is not Tesla’s first bout with a racial discrimination claim either. Although a trial for this lawsuit seems unlikely at this time, a trial prompted by a California state civil rights agency will proceed.
The Elon Musk-led tech company must also face additional racial discrimination claims, including another prompted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As for this latest ruling, Tesla declined to comment, reiterating its stance against workplace harassment and adding that employees who perpetuated it were fired. Just like last year, the company settled with one Black worker at the same plant for the apparent discrimination.
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